Lastly came Person of Interest, starring Jim Caviezel and Michael Emerson. (In all of the official info for this show, Caviezel is only ever noted as having been in The Thin Red Line – never his more recent role in The Passion of the Christ. Not surprising, just an observation.) In it, Caviezel is a former soldier and CIA agent who – after losing the woman he loved – now’s just a crazy hobo, beating the crap out of not-very-tough-looking toughs on the subway. Early in the show he’s approached by Emerson, who plays a character disappointingly similar to the one he played on Lost (he knows everything about you, but you don’t get to know too much about him), “Dr. Finch”. Dr. Finch has a job offer for the lost, directionless badass: come to work for him preventing future crime.

It seems Finch wrote a software program meant to sort through and make sense of all the data the government collects in the post-Patriot Act world (cell phone records, e-mails, images, everything); somehow, it started occasionally spitting out social security numbers of people who will be involved in a crime in the future. They might be the victim, they might be the perpetrator – there’s no way to know, only that they will be apart of something ugly if someone doesn’t intervene first.

From the first episode, it was hard to tell what to make of the series, or what the typical show would look like. Presumably, each episode would be Caviezel and Emerson working to either save or cap the next person on their list – but the pilot is burdened with also laying the groundwork for the show’s somewhat complicated concept, making the entire first episode feel a little hurried and superficial, with too much to do in an hour. And with no big mystery to tease an audience with for years and years, ultimately the show is going to rest on how interesting they can make each week’s new victim/perp. Can they do it? This remains to be seen.http://www.deadline.com/2011/07/2011-comic-con-warner-bros-tv-pilots/

Yet for all their evolution, they form no bonds.Love does not exist for them. They are incapable of dreaming,Of contemplating beauty, Of knowing something greater than themselves.

Annalee Newitz — For months, we've been wondering about Person of Interest, the new show coming in fall from JJ Abrams' Bad Robot Productions. Starring Michael Emerson (Ben on Lost) and Jim Caviezel as "interested third parties" who try to stop crimes before they happen, the show seemed like it could go a lot of ways. Would it involve spooky precognition stuff, time travel, or some other quirk that wasn't fantastical at all? The answer turned out to be a lot more interesting than I was expecting, and left me thinking this show could ramp up into awesomeness if it doesn't get bogged down in its "crime of the week" format.

Reese (Caviezel) is a former special agent with a mysterious past. After losing the woman he loved, he's gone on a serious downhill spiral, eventually winding up homeless and perma-drunk in New York City. As the pilot begins, we see him attacked on a subway by a bunch of thugs who think they're going to have some fun messing with a helpless bum. When they find themselves on the hard end of Reese's badassery stick, Reese is brought in for questioning. A cool detective who I hope will become an ongoing character looks into his past, trying to figure out why this homeless guy was able to mop up the subway floor with five guys. But before she can learn much more than "he's been involved in a lot of shady government murder stuff," he's swept out of prison and into a waiting limo populated by the mysterious Mr. Finch (Emerson, at his mystical, twitchy best).

Apparently Finch has been watching Reese for a while, and has decided to bring him in on a strange project he's doing with a bunch of cash he made . . . somewhere. "I'm a very private person," he explains. He's somehow able to figure out when people are likely to be in danger, and wants Reese to come in and be the muscle who saves the lives of these "people of interest." Why does he pick Reese? Well, for one thing, Reese is totally badass — a fighter and investigator rolled into one. And for another thing, most people believe that Finch and Reese are dead. So they can operate very much below the radar.

In the first episode, they shadow a public defender whom Finch things will be the occasion for a violent crime. He's not sure if she'll be victim or perpetrator, though. After a lot of shenanigans that at some points barely make any sense at all (hey, it's a pilot), Reese solves the case and saves the relevant people (while putting other relevant people in jail). It's a bit too neat, but that's OK because the real eye-popper in this pilot is when we finally find out how Finch knows all that he does.

Apparently Finch designed the legendary "total information awareness" (TIA) system that John Poindexter had promised he'd create in the wake of 9/11. TIA would be a computer system that could comb through every piece of surveillance data in real time, tipping agents off when it found likely terrorism suspects. Though TIA never got off the ground in real life, in Person of Interest, it did — thanks entirely to Finch. He's created "the machine," which is basically a super giant server farm that's constantly crunching data from CCTVs and every other form of surveillance. And it can predict with alarming accuracy where terrorism is likely to erupt next. But it can also do something unexpected: Predict other kinds of crimes that have nothing to do with national security. Like ordinary people being murdered. The machine began spitting out the social security numbers of people in danger from non-terrorist violence. Finch programmed the machine to delete all these "irrelevant" crime leads until his conscience started to eat him. He began to worry about all those "lost numbers" (hello, strange hat tip to Lost).

So Finch built a backdoor into the machine, which allows him to collect the lost numbers. And with Reese's help he may be able to get to their owners in time to stop the violence. To prevent, as he cheesily puts it, people from losing their lovers the way Reese did. We can believe the hook would work on Reese, who is fed up with using his special powers in the service of the government. And Finch is awesomely mysterious enough that we'll believe almost anything about him if he'll just stay on screen a little longer.

I absolutely love the premise of this show. I'm totally hooked on the idea that crime-fighting vigilantes would sneak into TIA-like computer systems in order to use surveillance for the powers of good. It's a terrific twist on surveillance paranoia. But I'm not yet convinced that this show can take this idea and run with it. It could easily get bogged down in "crime of the week," with the machine and its weird implications becoming little more than a post-9/11 version of Charlie's Angels' black box, telling the girls where to fight bad guys every week. If this show can live up to its premise, I predict that we'll all be glued to the set every week. Here's hoping!http://io9.com/5823518/person-of-interest-brings-us-the-first-post+911-surveillance-superheroes

Yet for all their evolution, they form no bonds.Love does not exist for them. They are incapable of dreaming,Of contemplating beauty, Of knowing something greater than themselves.

Casting Director is looking for Guest Actors and Co-Stars for the upcoming episode of CBS series "Person of Interest". Episode #102, "Ghosts"

SEEKING:

1.) MALE (40-55; any ethnicity) - INGRAM. A telegenic tech mogul in the mold of Steve Jobs, he's a friend and partner of Finch's. The face of Ingram Technologies, their collaboration has made Ingram one of the richest men in the world. RECURRING GUEST STAR;

2.) FEMALE (16-17; Caucasian) - THERESA. Street smart and tough out of necessity, a once-promising straight A student. Because of a tragedy, she's become feral and street-hardened, hanging out with skater kids, and trying to stay alive. Wary and aggressive when she needs to be, Theresa doesn't trust anyone. She believes she's safer on her own, and she might be right. GUEST STAR;

3.) FEMALE (mid 30's-mid 40's; any ethnicity) - REBECCA. Theresa's aunt, was shocked and horrified by her family's tragedy. Two years after the incident she is now divorced from her husband. GUEST STAR;

4.) MALE (40's; Caucasian) - DEREK. He is Theresa's uncle who has a history of making poor business decisions. He looks like he's living on borrowed time and money, and he's filled with guilt and shame for his part in his brother's family. GUEST STAR;

6.) MALE (early-mid 30's; Caucasian) - IRS. Although very large, this relaxed hit man with dead eyes has quick reflexes. Known only as IRS (a reference to the certainty of death and taxes), he proves to be a formidable opponent to Reese. GUEST STAR OR CO-STAR;

7.) MALE (60's; Caucasian) - SOLNICK. A huge, bored-looking contract killer serving a life sentence in prison, he admits to having a code of conduct regarding his hits. ONE-DAY GUEST STAR OR CO-STAR;

19.) MALES or FEMALES (30s'-40's; any ethnicity) - SUIT ONE & SUIT TWO. These two CIA suits tell Carter they're taking over her investigation, but back off somewhat abashedly when she laughs in disbelief at their lack of knowledge about Reese. CO-STARS;

20.) MALE (30's; any ethnicity) - CONFIDENTIAL INFORMANT. This male rugged-looking homeless person is a C.I. of Fusco's who makes a call on Fusco's behalf for cash. CO-STAR

So we have a corporation to wonder about "Ingram Tech" --Tele Genetic?

telegenetic (not comparable)Of, pertaining to, or arising from sex or reproduction at a distance. [quotations ▼]Of or pertaining to telegenetics, the delivery of genetic testing and counseling at a distance. [quotations ▼]

Like the part where CIA agents tell Carter to step away from her investigation!

And who will play Winston?!!!!!!! (Calling Alan Dale, Naveen Andrews, Balathazar Ghetty, Ron Riffkin, Elizabeth Mitchell, Hiroyuki Sanada, Brett Cullen, Emily De Raven, or ken Leung for any of these role!!!)

Yet for all their evolution, they form no bonds.Love does not exist for them. They are incapable of dreaming,Of contemplating beauty, Of knowing something greater than themselves.

Looking over Twitter Search Results and Official Twitter...Many just watched or rewatched the Pilot...seeing more positive than negative reviews so far...some are reminded of Alias (and for this I am glad).

Nolan says, less science fiction, more science fact.

Nolan responds to fan question about "number origin": You'll have to keep watching to find out!

Emerson says, a whiff of duplicity may still hang around me...

Emerson says, You will start to see his frailty, I'll be sure of that!

Yet for all their evolution, they form no bonds.Love does not exist for them. They are incapable of dreaming,Of contemplating beauty, Of knowing something greater than themselves.

John Reese (Caviezel) may look like your average street bum now, but he is a highly trained ex-CIA operative that has finally let all of his misfortunes catch up with him. When he defends himself in a subway car and is picked up on security cameras, he is sprung from any charges by the curious Mr. Finch (Emerson) right from under Officer Carter’s (Henson) nose. Mr. Finch has an interesting proposition: what if you could track down small, disastrous crimes before they occurred. Already feeling like Minority Report, they distance themselves by saying that they don’t know who the perpetrator is, but they always know one of the parties involved.

Reese seems reluctant, but his own demons pull him into the fight and together Mr. Finch and Reese proceed to track down their first case by modern technology, including reverse engineering your cell phone to signal recorded data without detection, GPS, and good detective work. Eventually things stop being easy and Reese has to start getting his hands dirty. That’s a lot of fun for us. We are treated to a flurry of action sequences that are well-planned and have a certain logic that keeps things fresh. Most of the time it is a jaw-dropping moment where Reese might take out a gaggle of bad guys or it may be a standoff with hostages that plays out in a uniquely humorous way.

Fans of Abrams should know to expect the unexpected. For those that aren’t up to speed, numerous mysteries are revealed in the pilot and it will be fascinating to see how they continue to play out. There are even moments where things are turned on their head or a character acts on an ambiguous level, almost like an anti-hero. Person of Interest is a cautionary tale at times, showing how far technology has come and how this is completely within the realm of possibility. Slick action sequences, charming characters, and an intriguing plot all help make this one of the best pilots I can recall and definitely a series to look for come September 22nd on CBS.

Of course, a panel would be lame without bringing out some of the cast and crew to field questions from the audience. Executive producer and co-writer Jonah Nolan was on hand, along with executive producer Greg Plageman and stars Jim Caviezel, Taraji P. Henson, and Michael Emerson. The first question they addressed was the inspiration, which Nolan answered by saying his hometown of the U.K. was the inspiration. Jonah mentions that they have listed the amount of security cameras in England as unknown. However, it works just as well in New York. They would get together and play “count the cameras” and would simply lose track.

As for whether the show would be serialized and move back and forth in time, the crew gave an affirmative as well. They love the backstories and hope to flesh them out. Caviezel was asked what drew him to the project, and specifically television, and he mentioned the great script, adding that this project was a “once in a lifetime” moment. Caviezel also touched on his training for the role, including using SEAL Team One to train under, and he joked that between the SEALs and Jonah, he was set.

The attention quickly turned to fan favorite Michael Emerson, who broke out in a huge way as Ben from Abrams’ Lost. When asked if it was too early to assume that Mr. Fitch is a good guy, Emerson mentioned that duplicity may hang around his character. The next questioned wanted to know whether Emerson would reprise his role as “Bug Man” from Parenthood. Emerson responded, “That was a lot of fun and needs more exploration.” As for Henson, she had a few questioners there for her as well. One fan asked if she would constantly be on the search for Reese, and she said that will definitely be ongoing. However, she mentioned it would be very difficult because all she has to go off of is that he is wearing a suit.

Another questioner asked Taraji if she could resist making Jesus jokes because of Caviezel’s role as Jesus in Passion of the Christ. Of course she didn’t disappoint, cracking some right there, including asking if she could touch his robe and be absolved of all her sins. She even joked that it looked like “The Last Supper” on the panel with everyone gathered around Caviezel. However, he wasn’t going to be the only one not cracking jokes, so he added, “My wife knows I don’t walk on water.”

The final question revolved around the similarities between Ben Linus and Mr. Finch for Emerson and whether both characters feigning power even though they don’t know everything they pretend they do was a draw. Emerson shot that down quickly, though, by simply stating a negative. Emerson also mentioned that Mr. Finch is very mysterious and that his character wouldn’t be as heavy and instead focus on being light. After that, he smirked at the audience, and said, “I’m going to see to that,” which the crowd immediately responded to with cheers.

Without overstating this, I would just remind you that I thoroughly enjoyed the pilot and can’t wait to see how a smart, action-filled drama/paranoia thriller can make it in the mainstream. CBS still has plenty of time to start the campaign going, but it needs to have some sort of solid release date. So far, we have been given September 22 on CBS. As always, stay tuned right here to catch up on all things Comic-Con and movie news.http://collider.com/comic-con-person-of ... -2/105069/

Yet for all their evolution, they form no bonds.Love does not exist for them. They are incapable of dreaming,Of contemplating beauty, Of knowing something greater than themselves.

"I'm Always interested in worlds where, beneath the realism, there is a little more mysterious happening. This is an idea been kicking around in my head for a long time." -Jonathon Nolan

"Getting Michael Emerson to play Finch was J.J.'s idea. This character has so many layers. He's an architect of the modern era who helped build the surveillance system but also understands the dangers of it. The more you know about him, the more questions you're asking!" -Jonathon Nolan

Micheal Emerson comments, It's not science fiction as it is real and compares Finch to LOST's Ben, wondering about Finch's motives... Nolan comments on the amount of cameras they saw just when they were shooting scenes. Nolan also couldn't believe that James Caviezel was interested in the role.

"I have always been drawn to characters who are broken and have a dark history and Reese is definitely one of those guys. Reese has remarkable skill set that he developed to work in dangerous places all over the world. Now he is applying it to New York City." -Jonathon Nolan

"I wanted to do this show because the material is so special, he is trying to search for his own answers and find closure." -James Caviezel

The series plans to delve deep into it's characters' backstories and, having worked primarily in film,, Nolan is generally excited to "take these characters to different places and stay with them as their relationships evolve." -TVGuide's William Keck and Jonathon Nolan.

Last edited by DarthLocke on Fri Aug 05, 2011 2:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Yet for all their evolution, they form no bonds.Love does not exist for them. They are incapable of dreaming,Of contemplating beauty, Of knowing something greater than themselves.

“Pilot” – When the social security number of a young prosecutor comes up, Reese and Finch work together to figure out if their person of interest is the victim or perpetrator, on the series premiere of PERSON OF INTEREST, Thursday, Sept. 22 (9:00 – 10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

PERSON OF INTEREST stars Jim Caviezel, Emmy Award winner Michael Emerson and Academy Award nominated and current Emmy Award nominee Taraji P. Henson in a crime thriller about a presumed dead former-CIA agent who teams up with a mysterious billionaire to prevent violent crimes by using their own brand of vigilante justice. Reese's special training in covert operations appeals to Finch, a software genius who invented a program that uses pattern recognition to identify people about to be involved in violent crimes. Using state-of-the-art surveillance technology, the two work outside of the law using Reese's adept skills and Finch's unlimited wealth to unravel the mystery of the person of interest and stop the crime before it happens. Reese's actions draw the attention of the NYPD, including homicide detective Carter, and Fusco, a cop whom Reese uses to his advantage. With infinite crimes to investigate, Reese and Finch find that the right person, with the right information, at the right time, can change everything. J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk, Jonathan Nolan, David Semel and Greg Plageman are executive producers for Warner Bros. Television.